Dark Past and New Beginnings
by Eternal Flame1
Summary: AU-fic. Ranma is a former assassin for the Ashikaga Shogunate. The people know him as the 'Damuru Ken', the silent blade. This is a story of betrayal and revenge, of love and honor. Follow the path of Ranma as he seeks peace, and a place to call home.
1. The Silent Blade Emerges

"Speaking"  
  
'Thinking'  
  
Action/Sound  
  
~Time Elapse~  
  
  
  
Prologue The Silent Blade Emerges  
  
  
  
The man absently flicked his blade, throwing blood off to his right. He pulled out a small cloth from the inside of his black shirt and wiped the blade clean. And in one swift motion his sword was resting in its sheath at his side. With an audible 'click' it locks itself securely into place.  
  
The man's chest is heaving as the adrenaline slowly drains away. He looks around him, slowly panning from left to right. 'Blood,' he thinks to himself. 'Is this my destiny? Is the road I must travel paved in this cursed substance?' He slowly regains his breath as he makes his way out of the house.  
  
His target was believed to be distributing weapons to the rebels. His financial support had helped extend this pointless war. So the emperor had sent his best to remove the traitor. That was why he was here tonight. The house was surprisingly well protected. Guards and sentries had been roaming the courtyard that surrounded the large house. No less then a dozen well trained ninja were hidden amongst the trees and shadows, and the house's interior contained a dozen more. But for the assassin, even the most skilled among them had not been able to detect him until he had delivered the killing blow. This was courtesy of his father's training in his family's secret arts. Only those most skilled in ki detection could even stand a chance of knowing that someone was near.  
  
The man is now making his way out of the compound. Bodies littered the ground everywhere. None of the guards had had enough time to even scream before they were sent to their eternal slumber. The light of a lamp allows us to catch a glimpse of the assassin. But as we see him, it is obvious he is no man, but merely a child no older then thirteen summers. He wears his black hair back in a small pigtail, and is totally dressed in black. He is a handsome boy with a lean body, and confident stature. But his eyes…his eyes are a hard, steely blue. They show a tormented soul trapped in a boy's body. Someone who has seen more than any one man should have seen in a lifetime, much less thirteen years. He returns to the shadows and all but vanishes to the naked eye.  
  
His business here…was done.  
  
  
  
  
  
~Two Years Later~  
  
We see the boy walking into the palace infirmary with a large scowl on his face. Blood is running down the front of his face from a four inch long gash that runs diagonally from his right eyebrow, down across the bridge of his nose, and ends below his left eye. He doesn't seem to take notice as he walks over to a table and waits for the doctor. 'That son of a bitch! That traitor! I can't believe he betrayed me!' He screams in his head. The doctor comes over.  
  
"My goodness! What happened?" the doctor states as he rushes over to his supplies to get some alcohol and a needle and thread. The boy just scowls deeper.  
  
"I was betrayed, Ono-sensei," he says in a low voice. "By my own partner."  
  
Dr. Tofuu Ono's eyes widen at this. "Betrayed? By Ryoga! But he was your best friend. Why would he do that?" The doctor is now looking at the boys wound. He pours some alcohol on a rag and proceeds to clean the cut.  
  
SHHPHHHH The boy sucks air in through his teeth in pain as the wound is disinfected, but he says nothing. He just has a mad, yet hurt look in his eyes as he thinks of his friend.  
  
The doctor doesn't press him any longer and just continues to work on the wound. "This will scar you know." Ono shakes his head as he thinks of one so young gaining a scar like this. 'Why must we bring one's so young into these pointless battles.' He shakes his head and turns in time to see the boy's superior approaching the table.  
  
"What happened Ranma?" The man asks as he looks towards the fifteen year old teenager.  
  
The boy, Ranma, turns and regards the man. "Ryoga turned on us before we could proceed with the plan." He says in a low tone. "He killed off all the men before we could blink, then he confronted me."  
  
The man looks closely at Ranma's cut. "Him?" He asks, pointing to the gash.  
  
Ranma nods. "I gave him one across his throat. But he escaped before I could gain my bearing from this." Ranma points at the cut on his head. "The cut I gave him wasn't deep, but if he didn't receive help quickly he would have bled to death." Ranma dropped his hand and tries to ignore the pain the good doctor is dealing him with the needle.  
  
The man nods. "Very well. Get some rest. You won't be going out until that," he points to the cut, "heals." He then walks off after saying good day.  
  
"There, done." Ono says after finishing the stitching. "Be careful with it and don't stress the stitches. It will be hurting quite badly for awhile I'm afraid." The doctor regards Ranma's hurt look. Not physical, but emotional. "It will be alright Ranma, just don't think about it." He places his hand on the boys shoulder.  
  
Ranma looks up into the doctor's eyes and gives a small smile. "Thanks doc. It seems you're the only true friend I've got around here." He gets up and starts off towards his room to get some rest.  
  
Tofuu watches as he walks off. "Poor kid…" He whispers. He shakes his head and returns to another patient.  
  
  
  
  
  
~6 months later~  
  
The war has ended. Finally after so many years of bloodshed, the Rebel leader, Fu Yung Lou, had been killed. Intelligence had intercepted a rebel message concerning a secret meeting of Lou and his generals. The emperor sent Ranma to confirm the information, and to kill the men if it were true. When Ranma had arrived, he witnessed the arrival of the 6 main leaders of the rebel army. 10 minutes later their corpses were lying among the bodies of 30 or so personal guards. The mission was a success and now Japan could be at peace.  
  
We see Ranma standing in front a tall man with brown hair and glasses. They are standing on the outskirts of town, up on a hill. The sun is beginning its decent to the west.  
  
"Are you sure that you must go?" The other man, which turns out to be Dr. Tofuu, asks as he watches the boy in front of him.  
  
Ranma nods. "Yes, they have no more use of me here, and I have no home to return to." He puts his left hand on the butt of his katana, and pats it. "It is time that this was used for protecting people, instead of slaying them."  
  
The good doctor nods his head and smiles at Ranma. "So, the legendary 'Damuru Ken' shall continue to fight, Hmm?"  
  
"My battle is not quite over Tofuu. Many people are still suffering out there. And I plan to help them. Even if they are afraid of the name our enemies gave me." says Ranma. Damuru Ken, the silent blade. Ranma had received that title about a year after joining with the Ashikaga Shogunate. His flawless assassinations were legendary across Japan. Everyone that saw him, knew write off who he was. Ranma reaches up and traces the scar on his face. That little wound had given him a face to the public. He was no longer an assassin that could roam around in the market without the worry of recognition. Now everyone knew to look for a young man with hair as dark as night, eyes as blue as the ocean, and a scar upon his brow.  
  
"Very well. Our paths are sure to cross again one day, Ranma. I believe that soon I am going to start my own clinic somewhere peaceful, and enjoy the rest of my life." Dr. Tofuu says as he grabs Ranma's right hand at the wrist in a firm shake.  
  
"Good luck then Tofuu. We will meet again." Ranma releases the doctor's arm and turns to leave.  
  
'Good luck' Tofuu thinks as he watches the retreating figure. 'You deserve a little peace in your life.'  
  
And so Ranma, also known as the Dumuru Ken, leaves the life of the assassin behind, in search of those in need. And someday…someday he hopes that he might find peace.  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
  
  
Well there you have it. My first installment of my second fic. I'll be trying to put out one chapter for this story, and also "The Silent Warrior" every few days. Please leave any reviews you have about what you think.  
  
What's to come:  
  
The wandering swordsman comes into town one day. A woman is saved, and agreements are made. A new, more powerful enemy will show his face. And many new characters will come in to play.  
  
Thx  
  
Eternal Flame 


	2. Mysterious Warrior

Chapter 1 Mysterious Warrior  
  
  
  
She was running, running as fast as she could go. She couldn't let them catch her again. She would rather die then go back to that horrible place. She had to find her family. She had to get away.  
  
Its pitch black outside and all the residents were sounds asleep in their beds, clueless of what was going on outside. A figure was dashing through the rain as fast as it could go without falling. It is wearing a full body cloak with the hood over their head in a vain attempt to block out the rain. The person takes a left at a turn and nearly barrels into a cart on the side of the street. After it regains its bearings it takes off down the road again. Again and again it looks over its shoulder as if expecting someone to run up from behind. No one is in sight as she approaches the edge of town. Then it reaches the path that traverses through the woods, and dashes down it.  
  
Ten minutes later the figure comes to a stop at a cross-road. It looks back and forth as if checking if anyone was around, before collapsing against a tree. It reaches up to remove the hood…revealing a beautiful dark haired woman. Her chest is heaving and her legs ache from over use. She fights to retain consciousness as her adrenaline drains. She leans her head back against the tree and lets the drizzle of rain that dripped off the canopy of trees run down her face.  
  
"Well well well, what do we have here?" Says a dark figure stepping from the shadows in the direction she had come from. A dozen more step out behind the figure. Each is garbed in the blackest of clothing that covers every inch of their body. Only the top halves of their faces are visible.  
  
The girl jerks her head around towards the figures. She sees the small emblem of a rose on the front of their uniforms and her eyes widen. 'NO!' she mentally screams, too weak from running to even talk. She vainly tries to rise, but only results in falling back against the trunk. She leans off to the left as they begin approaching. 'nonononNONONO' again she mentally screams, slowly inching her way backwards, using her hands and feet to slide along the wet ground.  
  
"Hmph, I no use girl, we're here to take you back. No point trying to get away now, you can't even stand." The apparent leader of the group says. He raises his right arm into the air with his forefinger and middle finger extended heavenward. Two quick gestures of his hand and half the garbed fighters begin approaching faster.  
  
The girl is about to pass out from exhaustion when she sees the six figures begin running toward her. 'Please…I don't want to go back. Just leave me be…' her head begins to droop as she vainly fights the blackness of unconsciousness. 'I just want to go home…'  
  
"Interesting…a dozen well trained ninjas picking on one defenseless girl? Come now, that's not fair." says a voice from behind the girl. She vainly tries to turn her head to look down the left leg of the cross-road. She catches a glimpse of a dark figure, his face hidden by a straw hat…then all went black.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ranma had been making his way towards Ogasaka, when the rain hit. It was a minor annoyance, but made the trek miserable all the same. He's wearing a long black cloak the covers all of his body, his arms holding the inside of it closed around him. Protecting his head was a stiff straw hat that came to a point at the top and was held secure by thread that he had tied around his chin. He wore this most of the time to hide his face, but more importantly his scar. It has turned red over the years and has shrunk in size, but it is still quite visible. The good doctor Tofuu had done an exceptional job with the stitches all those years back, it had healed quite nicely.  
  
He looks up as he passes a small wooden sign with writing on it:  
  
| Ogasaka 2½ miles |  
  
| Kyoto 36 miles |  
  
He nods to himself. 'Almost there, then I can get out of this cursed rain,' he thinks to himself as he begins walking again.  
  
A few minutes later he stops dead in his tracks as he senses quite a few people up ahead. He slowly hides his presence using the Umi-sa-ken, and makes his way to the crossroads up ahead. Once he reaches it he sees a dozen men in black approaching a woman on her back. 'Ninjas?' he thinks. His eyes narrow as the leader speaks and motions the others to attack. He drops his technique and appears a few feet behind the girl.  
  
"Interesting…a dozen well trained ninjas picking on one defenseless girl? Come now, that's not fair." He watches as the shock of his appearance freezes the six approaching men in their tracks. He looks down as he sees the girl turning toward him and he gets a glimpse at her big brown eyes before they close and she collapses. He then turns back towards the leader as he speaks.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Who the hell are you? We have no business with some traveling trash, so be off!!" the leader barks at Ranma. Ranma just stands there and peers at the men for under his hat. "Are you deaf, beggar? I said be off with you!"  
  
"I'm sorry to disappoint you boys, but seeing this pretty lady lying here helpless with all you brutes, to leave her just wouldn't be my style. I gonna have to kindly ask you all to leave her with me. If you do, then no one will get hurt." Ranma rotates his left hand in a small circle around his body, cloak still in its fist. A sheathed katana is now visible at his left hip.  
  
The leader barks out in laughter. "And what pray tell are you going to do to all of us?" asks the leader, waving his hand to his comrades. "I believe you are at a slight disadvantage, traveler."  
  
"Leave. Now." All humor has left Ranma's voice as he raises head up to peer into the eyes of the leader. The six ninjas closest to Ranma take a step back, eyes widening in surprise.  
  
"That…that scar!! It…it can't be…" the begin backing up faster. "Da…Damuru Ken!" they are now back behind their leader.  
  
"Shut up you cowards! That's only a legend. Now get your asses back over there or I'll kill you personally!" The leader yells at his men. "Get him!"  
  
The other ninja look at each other, and then they turn back towards Ranma. Slowly, they begin moving towards his position. Ranma raises an eyebrow and places his left hand on the hilt of his blade. The men pause a moment, then continue. As if an unheard signal is given, they all charge at once.  
  
Ranma's right foot shifts slightly backwards and his knees bend ever so slightly. Then he leaps into action. The closest man has his sword held high getting ready to attempt a vertical slash. Ranma brings his left hand forward, sheath held tightly, and slams the butt of his katana against the man's nose. All that is heard is a slight girgle as the man drops his katana and falls back. Ranma doesn't stop there though. A slight shift of his weight to his back leg and he pivots, turning his back to the next man. The front end of his katana's sheath slams into the next man's gut with such force, he goes flying back towards a tree. He sees out of the corner of his eye two men that dodge the flying body and try to rush him.  
  
He raises his sheath above his head to block the first's overhead slash and grabs the second man's wrist before his back is cut open from shoulder to hip in a diagonal strike. Still facing away from them, he lets loose with a massive kick into the second's gut, while knocking the first's sword upwards. With his right hand free of the second man's wrist, he lets loose a powerful backhand to the first man's jaw. The ninja spins in place and collapses in a heap. 'Hmm. Three down.' Ranma thinks as he sees the others hesitate in thier attack.  
  
Two more men rush at him at the same time, one with their sword held low and away from his body, while the other wields two kodachis. As the three merge, the first man's sword comes up in a fast, diagonal slash. Ranma is too quick though and steps to his right, letting the slash pass by his left. Before them man can bring his sword back down, Ranma slams his palm into his wrist in a disarming move. Tendons freeze and the man's hand involuntarily releases the sword. The force from the blow sends the sword flying at the second attacker. The second man brings up his twin small swords in an attempt to keep the hilt from crashing into his face. As he raises his arms, he receives a powerful, yet swift kick in the ribs, sending him flying. As Ranma kicked the second, the first received an elbow in the bottom of his sternum, winding him. Ranma reaches over his shoulder and grabs the man by his outfit and flings him in a judo throw into a nearby tree, knocking him unconscious. Ranma straightens out from his bent position and faces the rest of his foes.  
  
He peers left and right at the seven remaining ninja. The men in question look at each other and nod, readying their weapons. Ranma places his right hand to his left hip as he replaces his swords sheath into his belt. He grips his sword and slightly turns his body to the side, with his right shoulder pointing towards the group. Knees bent, and body relaxed, an audible 'click' is heard as he clears the blade from its resting place. He then waits.  
  
They charge all at once, blades held at all angles. As they approach Ranma, they see his body tense for a split second. Then all went black for them…  
  
  
  
  
  
The leader watched with trepidation as the stranger took out his men in mere moments. He sees what the remaining men plan to do and he waits to see the outcome. He almost gasps as all he sees in a flash of light as they meet the man. He looks slightly behind the group to see the warrior casually sheathing his katana. He looks back in time to see blood explode from his comrade's bodies as if black powder had been placed within their chests. All the bodies fall into a pile, lifeless. The leader considers his options and decides on the smart move. With a quick look back at the traveler and a promise of revenge, he takes off down the road he came from. 'Master Kuno must know of this.' He thinks as he is sprinting towards the town. 'The Damuru Ken huh…'  
  
  
  
  
  
Ranma watched as the coward fled. He then turned towards the bodies of the fallen men and says a silent prayer. Moments later he is making his way over to the girl. He checks her pulse and sighs in relief as he sees she's merely unconscious. He stands once again and looks around. 'Damn. Can't go to Ogasaka now, they'll have people looking for me…' He looks towards the sign that rests in between the fork in the road.  
  
  
  
| ~~~ Osaka 26 miles |  
  
| Tokyo 30 miles ~~~ |  
  
He looks back down towards the girl and makes a decision. He picks her up and cradles her in his arms. 'So light…' He thinks peering down into the face of the girl. He looks back up and takes one more look around, then heads down the right hand path. 'Gotta camp soon and get her warm before she gets sick…'  
  
And with that he proceeds on his way to his new destination, Tokyo…  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Note's  
  
Please excuse my geography; I was just making up names and locations for this fic, so no one take it personally.  
  
If any of you are wandering about the hat Ranma is wearing, just think about the hat the main character of "Ninja Scroll" wears. I'm not sure what their called but if anyone knows, please let me know.  
  
Ahh, saving the damsel in distress, sigh so cliché. Heh, sorry guys but I thought it went well with what I have planned out as the story line.  
  
Before anyone asks, no Ranma does not have his curse. As far as his father and mother, well that will be explained later.  
  
Also don't worry; this is NOT a 'Kenshin' knockoff. I happen to enjoy medieval Japan and good old Kenshin just happens to fall under that category. This story plot will not be anywhere near our favorite Rounini's plot.  
  
A new chapter is on its way so keep checking back. Next up, Ranma meets the girl he saves and discovers the reason the men were after her.  
  
Thx for reading  
  
Eternal Flame 


	3. Her Story Unfolds

Chapter 2 Her Story Unfolds  
  
  
  
She could feel her whole body aching as her mind came back to the living. She squinted and tried to open one eye, then the other. Her sight was met with a huge blanket of sparkles in the sky. 'The stars…' she thought, as she tried to remember what she was doing outside. Then her eyes widen as the events that transpired came back to her. She tried to sit up but she was forced to slump back to the bed roll she was lying on with a groan. She brought her right hand up to her face in a vain attempt to rid herself of the terrible headache that was coming on. Then it registered in her mind, 'Bed roll? What the…' her hand came away from her face and she looked towards the direction that she could feel heat coming from.  
  
A fire was smoldering to her right. A makeshift spit was put together over it, but nothing was being cooked. She took a longer look now at her surroundings. It seemed as though it was late at night, probably 10 or 11 o'clock by the looks of it. She groaned as her head throbbed again and her hand came up to her face. She closed her eyes and tried to remember how she had gotten away from Kuno's men.  
  
Then it hit her. She remembered a man before she blacked out. He had said something that made the ninjas pause, and then all had went dark for her. 'I wonder if he...' she broke off as she heard footsteps coming from the other side of the fire. She dropped her arm and tried her best to act a sleep.  
  
She watched through a squinted eye as the same man from when she remembered came into the campsite. He still wore his straw hat and cloak, but now he held a brown bag of some sort. She watched as he sat on a log that he had probably pulled over by the fire, and then opened his sack. She licked her dry lips as she watched him pull out half a dozen quail, and begin taking off their feathers.  
  
"If I was going to harm you, I would have already done it, miss." Said the man, looking up from his dinner preparation.  
  
The girl's eyes shot open. "How…"  
  
"Your breathing…and your ki was different from when I left." He stated as he went back to his job. "Just lay back, you've lost a lot of your strength. I'll be done with dinner soon."  
  
She relaxed somewhat but still kept her eye on the man. She watched as he finished de-feathering the quail and reached for the spit. All six were jammed onto the makeshift stick in a row. Then, he reached into his small pack that she didn't notice earlier and brought out what seemed to be a few small, leather bags. He opened on and reached inside, his hand came back out with a small amount of what seemed like salt. He sprinkled the herb onto each quail equally, tied that pouch, and opened another. Two other spices were added to dinner before he finally replaced the spit back over the fire.  
  
"What's your name." Said the man as he sat back down on the log. He watched intently as he rotated the food slowly, as to not overcook or undercook it.  
  
"Umm…Akane, Akane Tendo." The girl said with a little trepidation. True he hadn't done anything to her, 'Least I hope not,' but that doesn't mean he wasn't going to sometime soon. She waited for him to introduce himself.  
  
A minute…five minutes pass, but no return answer. Akane could feel her temper rising as her brow furrows. "Well…" she says to him, in an annoyed tone.  
  
The man looks up at her, "Well what, dinner will be ready shortly." He said and gazed back down at the birds.  
  
"Not the dinner," Akane huffs, "your name. Who are you?" She stares at him with a frown on her face.  
  
Once again his gaze rises to her. "I'm just a traveler, on a journey." He says simply, as is she should have already known that.  
  
Once again silence. If Akane could move right now she would have pounded the daylights out of this guy. "Grr, I have eyes. I could see you were that much. What's your name though?"  
  
Ranma just smiles and continues to cook. After another five minutes Akane just 'huffs' and lays back down, staring at the stars. A wonderful smell in now waffing over in her direction. She licks her dry lips and grimaces at her parched throat.  
  
Bomp She looked down into her lap and sees a leather bag, used for carrying water. She immediately reaches for it and opened the cork top. She seemed to guzzle down the savory liquid forever. Finally with a 'sigh,' she drops the top of the bag from her mouth and replaced the cork.  
  
"Thanks." She says to the man at the fire. He just nods and removes the spit. She watches as he pulls out a small dagger, and cuts into each one, seeing if it was ready. He nodded to himself.  
  
The next thing she knew, Akane had a stick of her own, supporting two of the quail. She looks up and watches as the man returned to his log. She smiles graciously when she caught his eye. One timid bit, and her eyes shot wide. 'Delicious!!' she screamed mentally. She then proceeded to ravage the cooked birds.  
  
The man's heart had skipped a beat when the girl, Akane, had smiled at him. Then he smiled as he saw her tear into her dinner. He began eating his own.  
  
  
  
  
  
Ten minutes later, they both were done and were just staring at the fire, Akane still on the bedroll, and the man on the log. "Why were they after you?" The man suddenly asked, looking towards her.  
  
She almost jumped at the break in the silence. "Its…its nothing really. Just some guys trying to take advantage of me or something probably." She said hoping he would believe it. Evidently he didn't since he was now raising an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Really now…a dozen trained ninja is after you and you are trying to tell me that they just wanted to rape you?" he asked, as if it was the dumbest thing he had ever heard.  
  
Akane let out a deep breath and looked up towards the man. She almost gasped now that she had a good view of his face. 'So blue…' she thought as she stared into the endless blue eyes. A minute later she dropped her line of vision. "Well…those were some of the ninja of Tatewaki Kuno, the leader of a local daimyo that has grown in power since the last revolution. He is an insane man that was hell bent on taking over Japan, and he wanted me by his side…  
  
  
  
~Flashback~  
  
We see a carriage parked outside a large, walled in house. Guards stand watch with swords at their hips around the entrance. A sign hangs to the right of the entrance that read: Tendo Dojo. The scene changes to inside the walls, where we see a middle aged man in a dark gee, with a mustache and long black hair, speaking to another man. The man was eloquently dressed in samurai garb, and he holds his head up high as if to say he was better then all who sees him.  
  
"So, Tendo-san, I have come once again to ask for hand of the beauteous Akane. For truly one so pure was made to for one such as I." stated the man.  
  
"She has already told me, as I have told you many times before Kuno-san, she doesn't wish to marry you." Said the other man, now identified as Tendo.  
  
Kuno's brow furrowed and his mouth snarled in rage for a moment, and then he seemed to calm himself. "Very well, but hear me peasant, the fierce Akane Tendo will be mine." He said, turning back towards the carriage.  
  
"One way or another…" Tendo heard as the gate closed. For some reason, hearing that man say that made his blood run cold.  
  
  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
"Ah, I see. An eccentric, lovesick, megalomaniac, all rolled in one. A vital combination you got there if you ask me." stated Ranma as he nodded and poked at the fire.  
  
"Yeah. Well, it happened a few days later…"  
  
  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Soun Tendo was sitting in the dojo mediating. His daughters were all busy with whatever they do during the morning, and so he was trying to relax a bit. He could hear his oldest humming as she made her way around the kitchen. Akane was out for her morning run and Nabiki was, who knows where. A sound brought him back to the world.  
  
THUMP  
  
He got up and made his way outside. What he saw made his blood run cold. An arrow, with a message tied to it, was imbedded in the side of the house. He walked over and with trembling hands removed the note. He opened it and read, and his face went pale…  
  
To Soun Tendo,  
  
I told you peasant, that I always receive what I want. I have graciously taken your daughter off of your hands, so do not worry for her safety. If there is any attempt to pursue or 'rescue' the fair maiden…your family will be no more.  
  
Soon to be son-in-law,  
  
Takewaki Kuno  
  
  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
Ranma nodded his head as she finished her story. "So now, you escaped and are trying to make it home…" He says.  
  
Akane nodded her head. "Yes, that's why they were after me."  
  
Ranma stares at the fire a bit before looking up to her. "And where does your family reside?" he asked, looking at her.  
  
"Central Tokyo, it's…a large dojo. My father hasn't taught much since our mother passed, but it was once the largest in the city." Akane says, looking down at her hands at the memory of her mother.  
  
Silence prevails for some more minutes. Then, "Very well, get some sleep. We will need to make an early start in the morning." Says Ranma getting up and making his way to a nearby tree. He sits down and leans back against it, with one knee to his chest. He bows his head and rests his sword against his shoulder.  
  
"Umm…where are we going tomorrow?" Akane asks in a small voice, settling down into the bedroll. She felt kind of embarrassed taking the man's sleeping roll from him.  
  
"Why Tokyo of course. Your family must be worried sick." He states matter of factly.  
  
Akane's eyes shot open wide and a large smile makes it across her face. "Thank you so much…Umm…" She trails off, not knowing what to call him.  
  
" Its Ranma…" he says with his eyes still closed.  
  
Akane smiles again, "Thank you Ranma."  
  
So they both settle down for the night. Ranma knew that more of this, Kuno guys men would be tracking them, but he was determined to get this woman back to her family, even if it meant killing every last one of them…  
  
  
  
  
  
Author Notes:  
  
GUAAAAAAAAAHHHH pulls hair out. COME ON PEOPLE THIS IS NOT A KENSHIN LOOK ALIKE. Many people keep saying it, but just cause hes an ex assassin in medieval Japan doesn't make him Kenshin. I love "Rounini Kenshin" to death, but if I wanted to make a crossover, I would say it. ( : P ) Besides, Ranma still kills people, no Sakabato and he doesn't say 'Oro'.  
  
Anyway, now that's out of my system, I'd like to thank you all for stopping by and reading. A new chapter will be out soon.  
  
Next up: The road to Tokyo  
  
Thx  
  
Eternal Flame 


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